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Vertical distributions of PAHs in the sediments of four lakes in Japan

  • IASWS 2011: THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SEDIMENTS AND WATER
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to elucidate historical trends, spatial variations, and the sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in several Japanese lakes.

Materials and methods

The vertical distributions of PAHs in the core samples of sediments taken at several points in lakes Kasumigaura, Suwa, Kizaki, and Shinji were determined using a gas chromatograph equipped with a mass selective detector and combined with chronological information and the physical/elemental properties of the sediment.

Results and discussion

Seventeen related compounds (congeners) typically had concentration peaks at sediment depths corresponding to the 1960s to 1970s. In Lake Shinji and one bay of Lake Kasumigaura, there was a tendency for PAH concentrations to increase downstream; in contrast, another bay of Lake Kasumigaura showed the reverse trend. During big flood events, the fluxes of PAHs increased due to large inputs of particulate matter, although PAH concentrations were reduced. For the four study lakes and other similar lakes, PAH concentrations of surface sediments were approximately proportional to population densities in the respective watersheds, while the total input of PAHs to the lakes were correlated with their population and watershed area. The source apportionment analysis using isomer ratios for the congener profiles indicated that the principal sources of the PAHs in the lake sediments were gasoline and/or diesel engine exhausts and biomass burning.

Conclusions

The observed concentration peaks showed a deterioration of the chemical quality of atmospheric conditions around 1960–1970 and a recent tendency for their amelioration. Between-lake differences suggest that the influence of human activity in the watersheds influences sediment PAH concentrations. The PAH sources were identified to be of pyrogenic origin.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs T. Hanazato, Y. Miyabara, M. Yamamoto, and M. Aizaki for their help in collecting the sediment samples in Lakes Suwa, Kizaki, and Shinji. This work was supported in part by Grant-in-Aids for Scientific Research no. 17360253 and No. 21241001 to T. Fukushima from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, Japan. We express our appreciation to two anonymous reviewers for constructive criticisms on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Life and Environment, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8572, Japan

    Takehiko Fukushima, Seigo Watanabe & Koichi Kamiya

  2. Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan

    Noriatsu Ozaki

Authors
  1. Takehiko Fukushima
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  2. Seigo Watanabe
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  3. Koichi Kamiya
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  4. Noriatsu Ozaki
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Correspondence to Takehiko Fukushima.

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Responsible editor: Nives Ogrinc

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Fukushima, T., Watanabe, S., Kamiya, K. et al. Vertical distributions of PAHs in the sediments of four lakes in Japan. J Soils Sediments 12, 1530–1540 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0598-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-012-0598-6

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